Noah nodded his thanks and ushered the mares to keep pace. They had to be close to town, the coming nightfall making visibility less and the air colder. Suddenly, out of the blurry white charged a horse, a single rider on its back. The abrupt appearance spooked the mares, and they reared high on their haunches.
Noah struggled to maintain control, but the rider didn't so much as slow, racing past them so fast Noah only caught a glimpse of dark clothes and a beaver cap. The horses tugged against Noah's hold, and with the combination of snow and the wet ground, the carriage slid to the side of the road. Without traction, the wheels dipped over the edge of the small embankment, taking Noah, Marty, and the mares with it.
The carriage tipped, and everything slowed down.
Noah shoved his feet into the footboard and released one hand from the reins, attempting to grab Marty as the man rose from his seat, but Noah's damp boots slipped the farther the carriage tipped. With a squeal from the horses and a cry from Marty, the entire carriage crashed onto its side, tossing Noah through the air.
His body slammed against the snowy ground, and all went dark.
Chapter 11
COLD.
The first thought to emerge in Noah's mind.
A chill crept over every fiber of his clothes to his skin, slowing his mind. He shivered. Where was he? What had happened?
He pried his eyes open, blinking against the sudden onslaught of snow in his vision. Snow? What was he doing out in the middle of the snow? Thoughts swirled with the same ferocity as the wind, slow to catch. His attention landed on the overturned carriage nearby.
The horseman!
His eyes shot wide as blurry memories cleared into recognition.
Marty!
Noah moved to sit, and pain coiled up his left leg, nearly crippling him. He paused, allowing a swell of nausea to pass, before adjusting his body to a more upright position. A sharp pain in his shoulder objected to the movement, but he pushed through. His thoughts cleared even more, the ache in his leg shifting from acute to manageable. A sprain, perhaps?
The light dusting of white on his clothes suggested he'd not been unconscious long. A few minutes at most. Maybe less. But he needed to get up and find Marty.
He reached for the nearest part of the carriage, one of the giant wheels, and brought himself up to an even straighter sitting position. At the top of the embankment, his mares stomped nervously, still hitched to the overturned carriage but appearing more annoyed than hurt. Though it was a miracle they stayed upright too.
A sigh shuddered out of Noah's mouth, crystallizing in the air.
Thank God the girls hadn't been with him. His attention shifted back to the overturned carriage with one side crushed in. No woman should be out in this weather. He shrugged his good shoulder. No man, either. Except the crazy ones, it seemed.
And then his gaze caught on a dark mass in the snow on the other side of the carriage, unmoving. His body tensed.
Marty.
He secured his hold on the wagon wheel and attempted to stand, but his first attempt proved futile against the slanted hillside. He barely caught himself before tipping into the snow.
“Marty!” The howl of the wind caught his cry and flung it back to him.
Noah shifted again, leaning his hip against the wheel, almost upright now. He had to get to the man. Pull him out of the snow, at the very least, and under the protection of the carriage.
“Hello!”
Noah jerked his head toward the sound.
Had he even heard it? A woman's voice. He shook his head. It had to be a trick of the wind's howl?
“Are you hurt?”
The voice came again, decidedly feminine.
Maybe he'd hit his head harder than he thought. He searched the direction of the call.
Out of the snowy swirls, a figure emerged, clad in a red cloak.
